


Pandemic Pillows

by ASmallGirlWithBigDreams



Category: Castle (TV 2009)
Genre: Family, Family Fluff, Laser Tag, Pandemic - Freeform, Pillow Fights, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29086122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASmallGirlWithBigDreams/pseuds/ASmallGirlWithBigDreams
Summary: A fluffy one-shot of our favorite crimefighting Castle family during pandemic. Lily, Jake & Reece are teenagers :)
Relationships: Kate Beckett/Richard Castle
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A little bit of fluff I imagine our favorite crime fighting family would go through during this pandemic.
> 
> Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine, but since we didn't get as much as their names, I'd say I'm responsible for the characterisation of Lily, Reece and Jake Castle in this story :)

"Dad, do we have to?" Jake whined. He was lying on top of his bed, headphones on, phone in hand.

"Yeah, can't we just-" Reece tried, he was sitting at his computer, his fingers moving over a console.

Castle glared at his two teenage sons, they had turned fifteen last week. The pandemic that had taken over the entire world, was in full swing. The Castle household had been home for three weeks now, the children following their classes online as best as they could. Castle who was now a guest lecturer at Columbia, had been holding online lectures himself from his office; much to the chagrin of his children who weren't allowed anywhere near his office or the kitchen for that matter during that time.

It wasn't easy, being locked up with three hormonal teenagers, defiant on every front. If only this had happened when they were little; then they wouldn't have had to deal with the snide comments, the sighs, the bickering over the poor Wi-Fi connection, and excessive use of shower time. They would have been even more exhausting; Kate had reminded him that night. Castle had gone over the day's frustration when they were retiring to bed.

Kate had wrapped her arms around her husband from behind, her head on his shoulder.

"Remember how exhausted we were? Even on a good day, where they would play nice and there weren't any accidents. Those three were the death of us," her breath tingled his neck.

"You're right," he huffed, remembering how his back had been in constant pain, his clothes always out of place from two ruffians poking, prodding and pulling on him endlessly.

"Even so, if it would have been Alexis -" he started, Kate turned him around at that, her arms around his neck, a playful eye roll.

"Oh come on, Rick. It would have been even worse. Her, Ashley, Max and Andrew? I don't think we want to add a screaming baby to this household. And if you're referring to when she was a teenager, she was alone. I'm sure she would have been just as pissed off as Lily if she'd had two extra Castles on her hand."

"Oh, so you're saying it is a Castle problem?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just saying, whenever you're complaining it's about your mini versions, not mine."

"That's because Lily's too busy talking to her girlfriend half the time; I'm sure if we'd confiscate her phone she would be just as dark and gloomy," he mumbled.

"Think of it this way; now she doesn't get to go off and get those tattoos you're so afraid off," she winked which earned her a growl and a push onto the bed. She shrieked, as Castle joined her, attacking her with kisses, pokes.

"Ugh, really?" they released each other quickly, like two teenagers caught by their parents, looked up to see their seventeen-year-old daughter in the doorway, with a phone in hand, her eyes reddened. Castle and Beckett got up straight away, dusting and readjusting their clothing. Lily rolled her eyes, was about to turn away when her father's voice beamed:

"Lily Castle, you don't get to roll your eyes at your mother and me without explanation. What's wrong?" he said. If there's one thing he had learned from his second daughter, it was that she was nothing like his first. While they shared the same smarts and wits, Lily was strong-headed, independent, stubborn, much like her mother. Castle, not knowing how to deal with a rebelling daughter had gone for the strong authoritative figure, in contrast to how he was more like the fun uncle to his two sons, who shared many of his childish quirks.

Lily turned around, not daring to look at her parents. Eventually, when she spoke, her voice was barely audible: "She broke up with me," tears rolling of her cheeks.

The atmosphere did a 180. Castle's severity vanished and was replaced with concern. Beckett knowing heartbreak all too well, made her way over to her daughter, her hand on the back of her daughter's head.

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry," Kate shared a glance with her husband, silently communicating what they should do. While they had both experienced their fair share of heartbreaks, Kate was inexperienced in her children going through it. Castle, on the other hand, had learned a few things from Alexis.

"Come, let us go to the living room, I'll prepare the ice-cream and you can tell us all about it," he gave his wife a nod. They started moving towards the living area, Lily not letting go of her mother.

When Lily was young, she barely cried. It freaked Castle out at first, believing that something must be terribly wrong with their baby. Whenever she would fall or get scrapes, she'd get up and keep running. While other children around her would run to their parents for a hug, a kiss on the booboo, Lily would already be back on the playground, with her hands in the sand. The only times she would come for hugs is when she noticed her parents were down.

Seeing his daughter now, enwrapped in her mother's embrace… a shot of pain went through his body. If it weren't for a worldwide pandemic, and the fact that the ex in question was a girl (talking about double-standards), he would go over to the ex's house right now, to give her a piece of his mind. How could she hurt his daughter like that?

He heard his wife cooing little words to their daughter, her hand stroking the brown locks softly. He had taken out a tub of ice, some spoons and placed it on the side table, when he decided that this should be a family moment. He walked up the stairs, knocked on his sons' door, and entered when he heard a low grumble from either Jake or Reece.

Their voices had been changing drastically in the last few months. While Jake's had dropped first, Reece's seemed to have gained a constant. Jake's voice still braking every other word.

"Guys, come downstairs, your sister needs comforting," he said, looking at them, both entranced by their electronics.

Jake was the first to look up: "Dad, do we have to?" he whined.

"Yeah, can't we just-" Reece added, not even giving so much as a look.

"Yes, your sister has been dumped and we are her family. So, move your asses and let's go," at those words, they dropped their respective games and got up; worry marking their faces.

His sons, in many ways an exact copy of their father, had inherited the need for justice from their mother, their need for protecting from their father. While their sister was the oldest, they had always felt a big responsibility over her.

Castle and Beckett had long before concluded that if Lily would ever kill somebody, their sons would do anything to cover up the crime, and discard of the body. With their mother being NYPD Captain turned Senator, and a bestselling crime novelist as a father, they were convinced, and a little scared at that, how easily they'd probably get away with it.

Arriving back downstairs, Kate and Lily were in the same position Castle had left them. He watched as his two sons walked up from behind, jumped on the sofa, opened their arms to join the family hug.

"Don't worry about it sis, she wasn't that fun anyway," Reece said, to which Jake added "yeah, she didn't even like Star Wars or Nebula 9."

Castle chuckled at that; how his son could mention Star Wars and that utter tragedy of a show in the same breath, was beyond him.

"Any room left for me?" he quipped as he let his full weight fall on the four of them, arms right open.

"Dad, no," he heard his children's squeals, and protests. Only when he heard his wife's captain voice: "Castle…" he repositioned, relieving some of the weight.

"Now scoot, old man," she said, her finger finding its way through the many tangled limbs, finding its intended target in Castle's side.

"Ey," he yelped, "I'm not old," he rubbed his side while letting himself roll off them onto the couch.

"Not old huh?" she smirked, eying her three children. With no further words, they all turned their heads towards their dad, eyes narrowing. While his daughter was a spitting image of Kate, she had her father's blue piercing eyes. His sons however, had their mother's. Even so, by the age of three, they had all mastered the Beckett glare with proficiency. Something which still scared Castle very much.

Before he could analyse or predict what'd come next, they sprung up on him, pillows drawn, hitting him wherever they could. He let himself fall backwards on the couch, his children falling with him which gave him the advantage. He stretched his arms backwards, grabbed one of the cushions and hit the first brown haired head he could reach.

He heard his wife laugh loudly, her silhouette in the corner of his eyes, observing the situation from a safe distance. Yeah, you laugh now, he thought. He prodded his two sons, one of them attempting to push him off the couch. Both their heads bopped up, as if two soldiers on duty, awaiting their leading officer's command.

Castle wiggled his brows, a sign language he had perfected over the years. The boys grinned at him, and then turned around at the same time. Beckett's laughter died, her eyes catching up with the switch in sides.

"Oh, you don't know what you've gotten yourselves into boys. I expected as much from your father, he's a lost cause," the boys sniggered at that," but you? You're messing with the wrong gal. Lily," Lily grabbed the boys' pillows before they knew what was happening; they tried to object, but Lily had already stolen their ammunition and joined her mother's side. Kate raised an eyebrow, which Lily imitated.

"I see, very low of you, Kate. I thought you were all about fair play," Castle tried his best to copy his girls' intimidating glares.

"Just two seconds ago, you wanted to attack four against one. I'd say I'm just evening the score," she retorted. Their children moving their heads from side to side, as if watching a tennis match.

"How about we truly make things even? You and Lily, me and the boys; last one standing?" an eyebrow raised.

* * *

The loft was darkened, the only light coming from the kitchen hood. Couches and chairs had been rearranged, no room was off limits. When Lily had turned five, Alexis had bought her her first mini laser tag gun with accompanying suit. Castle had cried with glee; missing the time he and Alexis would have their long-standing tournament of one thousand points. Given, Lily had been too young to truly master the sport, growing out of the suit in only a matter of months. But with every passing year, and their ever-growing family, the tournaments became grander, and more intricate.

Castle was on the ground floor, crouched down behind the piano. He was on his own now. Reece and Jake had teamed together to draw Lily out, who had been keeping cover behind the kitchen counter. Reece had come from the left-hand side, the fire place. Lily who had seen him coming, having the advantage of the reflecting fridge, was able to shoot him. But when she did, it allowed for Jake to sneak in from the right as he hit her right in the back. Glorious in their success, he had forgotten to seek cover, at which point Kate had taken him right in the chest.

Castle had seen a glimpse of his wife, as she disappeared towards their bedroom. He held his breath, all ears. Then he heard something fall in the bedroom followed by a mutter. He grinned. He felt his children's eyes on him as he crept towards the study, as silently as he could, ignoring the strain in his knees and shoulders. Beckett held the advantage, she could seek cover behind one of their armchairs, while Castle had to cross the emptiness of the study to reach their bedroom.

But Castle had a trick up his sleeves. He grabbed the remote of one of his electrical car toys on one of his bookshelves; if he remembered correctly, the last time he had been bored during one of his online breakout sessions, he had been driving the car around their closet. He pressed the on button, and heard the car come to life. His memory was right. All he had to do was bump the car against the closet door, and draw Beckett out of hiding. The car hit the door, but for a moment, everything remained silent. Then, he saw her lean figure rising from behind one of the chairs, sneaking with satisfaction towards the closet door. He could tell his wife was pleased, ready to end the war.

In a swift movement, he closed in on her, his finger on the trigger, when his toe bumped against the shelves and made her turn around in haste. He let out a grunt of pain, cursing himself for his clumsiness. Their guns pointed at each other. Their eyes battling with one another, both knowing that if either of them would concede, the other would never let them live it down.

* * *

It had been a few minutes since they had seen their father grab the car remote and enter the master bedroom. The three children remained silent, holding their breaths, not wanting to disrupt the grand finale. They loved playing with their parents, but as on many other occasions, they ended up waiting for their parents' final battle to settle the score; having had much more experience than their children both in and out of the field.

Jake was just about to go check, when their parents exited the bedroom. Their faces revealing nothing. The kids glanced between them, in suspense. And then Kate smirked, Castle shaking his head in defeat.

"Yes," Lily screamed out, giving her mom a high five after which she started teasing her two brothers for having lost once again.

* * *

"You're welcome," Castle said as his lay in bed watching his wife stow away some of their clothes in the hamper.

"Hmm?" she responded, without looking up.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. You and I both know I let you win," Kate rolled her eyes, as she joined her husband in bed.

"I don't know what you mean," she blew some hairs out of her face, pulling up the covers to her armpits.

"Uhu, sure you don't. But for what it's worth, it made her really happy," he said, his eyes glazed, remembering the moment right after they had announced the girls had won.

"It did," she scooched closer after which she whispered "thank you," in his ear.

"Whatever for?" it was Castle's turn to play dumb.

"Oh, you know what," she stumped him playfully, swinging one leg over him, strangling his thighs.

"Beckett, I don-" he tried, his eyes on her body.

"Just shut up, and kiss me," she interrupted, leaning in for a searing kiss, which Castle didn't mind one bit.


	2. Chicks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Per request, I've decided to write some more one-shots in this realm. See end notes for the prompt :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, except for the laptop and the fingers that typed these words.

"See you in two days, and stay safe everyone," Castle said, as he ended his online class. He was sitting in his office, the sun beaming strongly through the drapes. His stomach rumbled; if it weren't for a certain New York senator, he would have been able to have breakfast before his 8 am class this morning. Now, his body was practically screaming to be fed.

He went with his hands through his uncombed hair, let out a sigh of exhaustion, when he heard light footsteps approach the door to his study. A second later, Jake's face appeared in the door frame.

"What's up, son?" Castle got up to join him in the living room. While Jake had always been the more talkative of the twins, something clearly had happened for him to be this… shy. His son followed him to the kitchen, as Castle poured himself some cereal.

"How was class?" Jake eventually asked, not really looking at his father, nor anywhere else for that matter. Castle stopped what he was doing, eyed his son with suspicion. Last time Jake had come to him and Kate like that, it had been because he had "accidentally" drowned Lily's school chick in the bath tub. He and Reece had been seven, and had thought they could have great adventures with the chick in question, until they learned that chicks don't swim.

Jake, being the braver of the two, had made his way over to their parents, tears in his eyes as he told them how they had murdered Chip (the chick). Once he had started talking, his body had begun to shake, his breath had become uneven as he whispered: "Please, don't send us to jail. It was an accident. Please, mommy and daddy, I don't want to go to jail," he started sobbing.

Kate and Rick had glanced at each other, doing their best not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the matter, then they had quickly wrapped their arms around him and assured him that no one was going to put him in jail for accidentally murdering an elementary school's pet. They had held a little funeral for the animal, just Kate, Rick and the twins; after that, Castle had gone to buy a new one so Lily wouldn't know what had happened and she wouldn't get in trouble at school.

Later that week, Lily had come up to Castle in a similar fashion as her younger brother; "What's wrong, Lilipad?" he had asked, unaccustomed to a silent daughter who had a knack for unsolicited storytelling just like her father.

"Daddy, Chip keeps dying," she whispered, as if she was sharing state secrets.

"What do you mean? I thought it was your friend Angie's turn to take care of him?" his brows furrowed, as he placed her onto his lap. Lily glanced around to make sure they were alone before she said under her breath:

"Angie tried to play with Chip in the bath tub, but then he died. Her parents bought a new one, so she wouldn't get in trouble," Castle did his best not to look amused, chuckling silently that other families were dealing with a similar situation, "I did some asking around, like mommy taught me," good girl, he thought, "Oi Ping and Achmed had the same happen to their Chip. And I know Jake and Reece did the same," she concluded with a threatening glare, strongly reminding Castle of his wife.

"How do you know about that?" he went along with Lily's interrogation; that kid was going to be a good detective if she wanted to one day.

"I cannot reveal my sources," she said solemnly.

"Ah, I see. Maybe I can bribe your sources out of you with a little potato fudge ice-cream?" he had wiggled his eyebrows enticingly. At the mention, her eyes widened, but then she regained her composure.

"That and no dish washing duty for a week," she added, her eyes narrowing, her hand stretched out.

"Hmm, you drive a hard bargain. But ok," he shook her hand. Lily beckoned him closer, her head lowered, creating suspense. Holding on to it too long, Castle lost his patience and blurted: "It was Reece, wasn't it?"

"How'd you know?" completely forgetting the power game she had been playing.

"A man never reveals how he knows things," Castle said mysteriously, which earned him an eye roll Lily had perfected by the time she was six. Then, she got all serious again.

"Daddy, we've got to do something about it; can't you call the school?"

"And tell them what? That we killed their chick?"

Her brows furrowed.

"No, if you do, they'll know it was us too. Can't you call them anonymously? Tell them to stop giving chicks to ten-year-olds?" her voice broke, clearly concerned about the wellbeing of the animals. So, Castle had. He had promised Lily it would stay between them, and up to this day, not one ten-year-old was aware who was behind the cancelling of the school's chick program. Kate did know; Castle had told her straight away.

* * *

"Class was ok," Castle responded to Jake's question, his mind going over all possible scenarios of mischief his son could have gotten himself involved in. Thinking back to his own life at fifteen, the list of possibilities was endless. As he suspected, Jake wasn't really interested in his dad's teaching performance at all; barely reacting to what Castle had just said, Jake scraped his throat.

"How do you know when you're in love?" he eventually asked, his ears reddening. This caught Castle of guard: "Ahh…" Images of his redheaded daughter asking him the exact same question years ago filled his mind. Who would have known she would end up marrying the guy years later, making him a grandfather for the first time.

"All the songs make sense," Castle eventually went with, remembering what his future wife had answered when he had asked her the same exact question.

"Um, I don't really listen to that kind of music," Jake shrugged.

"Right," Castle had come to learn the kind of music his two sons listened to in the last couple of weeks of their quarantine. He agreed that beats probably didn't explain the feeling of love all too well.

"How about you and mom? How'd you know you loved her?" he looked at his father expectantly. The first four years of their partnership flashed before him. He'd always known he was attracted to Kate, from the first moment she had flashed her badge at him; but when he had first known his interest – read: obsession – had evolved into love… was less easy to pinpoint.

Clearly taking too long to reply, Jake added: "When did you tell her you loved her?"

Again, Castle didn't reply instantaneously. While he and Kate had told their children the PG version of their crime fighting days, they hadn't told them too much about her shooting. Mainly because they themselves didn't like to be reminded about Beckett's close brush with death.

"I told your mother four years into our partnership," seeing Jake shoulders lower discouragingly, Castle quickly added, "but while your mother and I's love story is one for the ages," Jake's eyes rolled at that, "I don't think it would serve as the best example in your case. Why don't you tell me about this person instead? What makes you think you might be in love?" he smiled at him encouragingly.

Jake's eyes glazed, a wide smile painting his face as he started rambling: "She's the most incredible girl I've ever met. She loves Star Wars, she's into Christopher Nolan movies, she's a gymnast and she speaks three languages, dad! Whenever I see her, I feel alive, and nervous and stupid, but then she smiles at me, and I forget what I wanted to say in the first place. And now I can't see her, because of this stupid virus, so we are texting but I suck at texting, dad. What if she doesn't get my jokes? You know how things get lost in translation?"

Castle grinned at his son.

"What?" Jake asked, insecurity lingering in his eyes.

"Sounds like you've got it bad, kid," he said, roughing his hair. Jake smiled at him sheepishly.

"So, um, what do I do?"

"I'd say keep at it. Keep talking to her, maybe a phone call wouldn't hurt? If she's as great as you describe her, I'm sure she'll be able to tell how great of a guy you are. Just be yourself, and time will take care of it," he winked.

"Thanks, dad," he said, his phone already in hand, his fingers moving over the keyboard rapidly.

"You're welcome," he muttered, while his son was already on the staircase, back to his room.

Castle chuckled to himself, finally taking his first bite of the day. He wasn't left in peace too long, though, as another pair of feet made its way down. Looking up, he saw it was the youngest member of their household, Reece.

"Hey, dad. How was your class?" he took the seat next to him.

While he loved his children fiercely, they weren't really what you could call subtle. That's all you, Kate had said one night after Castle had told her how their children had tried to cover up one of their latest incidents involving coke and Mentos.

"What do you want, Reece?" Castle cut to the chase, his stomach unamused by the prolonged lack of food.

"Hm?" Reece looked up, already forgotten he had started the conversation.

"Something you want to ask me perhaps?"

"How'd you know?" his ears reddening in the same fashion his brother's had only minutes earlier. While they were identical twins, Kate and Rick never had had trouble telling them apart; they seemed in the minority, however, seeing as the twins had pulled many a prank at the 12th precinct when Beckett was still captain.

"Hmm, my spidey senses were tingling," Castle joked; while he could normally count on a - sympathy - laugh from his youngest son, Reece's head clearly wasn't in it.

"Reece?" he tried again.

"Right, um… Dad, how do you when in you're in love?"

* * *

"I'm telling you, Kate, it's the same girl," Castle said. It was evening; their kids had just left the table and retreated to their rooms. Castle was drying some of the cutlery as Beckett was rinsing the final glass of wine.

"Castle, are you seriously telling me that our sons, Jake and Reece, have a crush on the same girl? Apart from their shared DNA and similar looks, they are more different from each other than that they differ from Lily," she said, letting the dirty water run down the drain.

Lily, having a strong personality of her own, seemed to be in the middle of the Castle-Beckett children spectrum, Jake and Reece being on opposing ends. Where Jake was loud, Reece was quiet, where Jake was spontaneous, Reece was calculated, where Jake was a realist, Reece was an idealist; put them together, they reinforced each other's strengths, and became the ultimate amalgamation of Beckett and Castle.

"Okay, you don't believe me? How do you explain that they both love Star Wars and Christopher Nolan movies, huh?" he said, his arms snaking around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Beckett pretended to be annoyed by their closeness, as she refuted his example: "Everyone loves Star Wars and Nolan, Castle. That's like saying they both like water."

"I don't like water?" he said, his lips meeting her neck, placing soft kisses where he knew she liked it.

"Right, because you're an eight-year-old on a sugar rush who only likes to drink soft drinks," she huffed, pretending his ministrations didn't quicken her heart rate. Castle's lips paused at that, Beckett damned herself already missing the touch of his warmth on her. While a younger her would have remained quiet, this version of Beckett didn't have as much self-restrained anymore, as she whined to let her annoyance be heard. Castle chuckled at that, continuing to kiss her down her neck, towards her collarbone.

"How do you explain that they are both gymnasts?" Beckett let out a satisfactory sigh, Castle's hands lowering to cup her ass.

"Easy, they're on the same team. Jake and Reece must have seen them perform before the pandemic," she gasped as Castle's teeth grazed her skin.

"Ok, how about this? She speaks three languages," he looked up, his eyebrows raised.

"Crap."

* * *

With the promise that he owed her big time, it was eventually Beckett who made her way to her sons' room. If it were up to her, she would stay out of her sons' love life, unless they came to her themselves. She didn't want to be a prying parent, much like her father had often been during her teenage years. Yet again, there she was, knocking on their bedroom door softly. She heard a grunt, which was enough permission for her to enter.

As expected, both were on their phones, while a movie was playing in the background.

"Hey, d'you mind if I come in?" she asked, her heart warmed at the sight of them. She had been a mother for seventeen years now, and still, she could never get over how much love she felt for each of her children.

The day she first held Lily in her arms, everything else in her life seemed to dissolve. It was as if her life hadn't had any purpose until that little bundle of joy, a miracle as the doctors called her, made it into her life.

"Sure," Reece said, shortly looking up, from his phone to acknowledge her presence.

Kate sat herself in between them on the beanbag, sinking into the material.

"What are you watching?" she asked, eying the gory images of a bunch of medieval clothed people being stabbed to death.

"Game of Thrones," Jake answered, looking up for a second too, smiling at her kindly.

"So," she coughed, going over the possible ways to approach the subject. _You used to interrogate criminals for a living, Kate. How hard can it be to ask a simple question?_

In the end, she decided to be to the point, no use in making it awkward for anyone; she'd like to have an open and honest relationship with her children and hoped they would continue to come to both her and Rick for anything they'd might want to discuss. Having always been closed off herself, she had learned the value of honesty, and not holding everything in.

"Your dad told me you two might be in love?" both heads turned at that, Reece halting the episode immediately.

"He told you?" Jake asked, his voice two pitches higher than his new low and "cool" voice, as he called it himself.

"Yes, he did. He didn't think you two would mind, but if you don't want me to know, that's also fine," she assured him.

"No, it's ok," Reece responded, "you just weren't there. Plus, dad's a guy and all," Reece's voice trailed away.

"Right, totally get that. Your father and I, um, were just a little concerned," she said hesitantly.

"Why's that?" Jake's brow furrowed.

* * *

"Castle," he heard her voice from the living room. He had retreated to his desk, reading over essays that needed to be graded by tomorrow. He looked up as his wife stormed into the office, her face a little annoyed.

"What?" he got up, a little wary, not entirely sure what he had done this time. He was sure he hadn't washed her more daring lingerie with their kids' clothes again. Last time, one of her one pieces had accidentally ended up in Lily's closet. Lily having a sharp tongue, didn't let her parents live it down for weeks. In the end, they'd had to promise they'd think about the possibility of a scooter to get her to stop bringing it up.

"Your sons' crushes?"

"What about her?" he stepped a little closer.

"They're twins, Castle. Lina and Erin Gomez."

"Ow," that would make a lot more sense.

"Yeah, ow. Now, if I remember correctly, you owe me big time," she grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt, and pulled him towards their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Leingh for the prompt "Castle thinks Jake and Reese are dating the same girl except they are twins. He keeps trying to tell Kate".
> 
> Hope you liked it :)


	3. Pillow Castles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: if you have any requests of a story you'd like to read, send me a message! I love writing these little family moments.
> 
> Disclaimer: Marlowe, can't you write a new season when the kids are older, pretty please?

Her heels echoed off the hallway wall. She sighed as she removed her face mask, placed it in her handbag and grabbed for her key. Beckett was the only one in her household to ever go outside these days; being a senator, she was still expected to show up in office, working with a limited staff. It had been over a month that they were cooped up at home, the pandemic searing fiercely over the globe.

While she was grateful they had the means and space to quarantine, it wasn't easy. Especially with a bunch of raging hormones fighting for the attention of their parents, and a man child who at the age of 61 still had as much youth and play in him than the day she met him all those years ago, if not even more.

Her key turned in the lock, she held in a breath awaiting to see the state her house was in. She had grown accustomed to the ever lively and full energy of her loft. Castle, who had always loved the newest gadget, had passed his interest for nerd and sci-fi stuff on to their three children. In the boredom of staying at home, these gadgets had accumulated at an unseen rate, popping up in seemingly every nook of the house.

The door opened to a dimmed living room, only lit by the flares of candle light, creating monster-like shadows on the walls and bookshelves. In the middle of it all, a giant fortress of pillows and blankets was built. She grinned, pulling of her heels and stowing away her jacket in the nearby closet. Then she slowly approached the castle, her tread ever lightly; once a detective, always a detective.

From the first month Castle and Beckett had been dating, a fortress had become the language of their love. Beckett had still been on suspension, when one day she had awoken to a cold bed, stripped of all its pillows, and blankets. She had grumbled out in frustration, and as she walked over to the kitchen to at least get her daily fill of coffee, she had been blown away by the most elaborate and extraordinary fortress she had ever seen.

A blush had warmed her cheeks, as she had stood in awe for a moment; admiring the work of her new boyfriend, the sun beaming into the space, illuminating the construction of what seemed like all the cushions in the entire loft combined. Then she noticed a gap under one of the chairs, perfect for an entryway. So, she had crouched down, as a curious child, she had peaked her head through the gap, only to be blown away even more. In the center of the castle, her Castle sat. A lamp cap with little holes, creating a kaleidoscope of lights and shimmers on the tarps that made up the roof.

She finished the last stretch into the space, Castle moving a little to the side to allow her some room.

"Castle this is…" she didn't even have the words to tell him what this place did or mean to her. Instead she had placed her lips on his, her actions speaking louder than any words ever could. The rest of the morning, they had lain in their fortress, in a love haze, whispering words of endearment to one another, caressing and kissing each other.

In similar fashion, Beckett now made her way over to the fortress in the half-darkened space of their living room. She peaked around, looking for clues to figure out how many of her household she would find inside the castle. Before she could lift her head in the castle's center, her husband's voice rumbled softly:

"Hey honey, how was work?" she raised her head slightly, to see that she and her husband were the only ones in the castle.

"Hey babe," she responded, her lips brushing his in a broad smile.

"I see your students don't keep you busy enough?" she said, eying the construction. The house seemed to have not only grown in family members over the years, cushions and tarps seemed to magically duplicate themselves every time a new fortress was created. This one must be the most elaborate one she had ever witnessed.

"Actually," Castle said, placing his wife's head on his lap, so he could softly stroke her head while she took in the space, "it was our kids' doing."

"Really?" she lifted her head slightly in surprise. "And you kicked them out?"

"They spent the entire day building it, neglecting their English lit assignments so I sent them up a while ago and told them they aren't allowed down until they have finished their analysis of Edgar Allan Poe," he said in a faked whiney voice.

"Castle?" Kate raised an eyebrow, knowing her husband far better than that.

"Alright, I might have also asked them for a little private time with you. It feels like I haven't seen you in days, Kate" he said, his lips on her forehead.

"Rick, you saw me this morning," she rolled her eyes.

He was about to protest, but she didn't let him. Instead she pulled at his lapels, so she could kiss him appreciatively.

"Missed you too," she whispered into his mouth. Then they let go of one another, the sound of three individuals coming down the stairs awakening them from their short moment of bliss.

"Dad, we finished Edgar," Jake's voice resounded. Beckett eyed her husband, surprised he hadn't been lying about the assignment.

"Can we come in?" Lily's asked warily in the gloomy teenage voice she had perfected in the last two years.

"What's with the candles?" Reece added, the most observant of their kids, "Is mom here?" a head bopped into the fortress's entrance, looked up to see his mother in his father's arms.

"Mom," Jake smiled, entering the space so his siblings could have some room too. While Kate had come home every day, she had been so busy with her job and all the new problems that came with the virus, that her household had started to miss her greatly.

The last one to enter was Lily; seeing her mother in the loving arms of her father, and the lack of any more space, she lay her head on her mother's belly. Grinning softly as her mother's long fingers caressed her hair. Her brothers, not wanting to miss out on the action followed suit; Jake's head finding Lily's stomach, Reece sharing his father's lap with his mother, much to the chagrin of his twin brother.

"Why do I always end up with your feet stuck in my face, Reece?" Jake pushed away the feet dangling in front of him.

"Hey it's that or mom and dad. I thought annoying only one is better than two. Even better when it's you I'm annoying," Reece retorted.

Sensing a storm from miles away, Kate raised her voice to prevent the outdated and repetitive bickering of her children.

"Reece, baby, leave your brother alone. Your feet don't need to be in his face," she said, calming his son down by stroking his short hair with her remaining hand.

Jake stuck out his tongue, reminding her of the first time they had introduced their kids to the fortress.

Jake and Reece had been two months old. Believing they lucked out children wise, seeing as Lily barely ever cried, Castle and Beckett had been surprised to learn that their second peanut wouldn't become one but two screaming babies, keeping them up at every minute of the day and night. Lily had been two and a half at that point, independent as ever, minding her own business while her two brothers would be screaming bloody murder in the crib next to her.

Castle and Beckett had been in an almost comatose state when out of nowhere a fortress had appeared in the middle of their living room. Not believing their eyes, thinking it must be a fata morgana, they crawled into the castle. There, they found Alexis with Ashley, and their two baby sprouts sleeping softly in the bed of pillows they had made. Lily was playing peekaboo with Ashley.

"Hey, I thought you guys could use some sleep," Alexis whispered, seeing her father and stepmother's exhaustion.

"Babe, I think we're dreaming," Kate had whispered, taking in the sight, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry Kate. Is everything ok? We'll put them straight ba-" Alexis had tried, but her father had stopped her, his arm on her shoulder.

"Those are tears of joy, honey. This is amazing, thanks," he smiled at his firstborn, and then back down at his new little girl, already with a strong personality of her own.

"Then we'll leave you two to it," Ashley had said kindly, placing his hand on the small of Alexis' back. They had said their goodbyes and opened up space for Castle and Beckett to lie down next to their two sons, who were magically asleep. Lily having slept perfectly still throughout the night, climbed onto her dad's tummy, her little hands reaching out to his cheeks, giggling softly as her father made funny faces.

Never in her life, Kate had felt so complete and loved as she did in that moment. While she still missed her mother every day, the hole that had ruled her life for the better half of it had been filled by her incredible husband and their three perfectly imperfect children. Kate's eyes glistened at the sight of her baby boys. Reece's foot against Jake's cheek; Jake's tongue softly sticking out as drool made its way onto the pillow.

Next thing she knew, she had fallen into a slumber. Not knowing how much time had elapsed, she awoke as tiny legs traversed her stomach, and sticky fingers reached out to her cheek. She opened her eyes onto piercing blue ones, exactly like her husband's.

"Hey, Lily," she cooed. Lily smiled back, a few teeth still missing. While she tried her best to be quiet, she felt her husband's body move next to her, a hand finding its way possessively over her stomach, lips finding the crook of her neck; warm air traveling down her spine.

"Momma, daddy is silly" Lily said, her hands clapping.

"That's right baby girl. Just like you and your brothers. Do you remember their names?" she eyed her sons who remarkably hadn't moved an inch since sleep had overtaken her.

"Jack and Weece," she looked at her new brothers gleefully. Beckett and Castle had done everything to make sure Lily wouldn't feel neglected once her brothers would arrive. Since Alexis had been an only child most of her life, and seeing Beckett and Castle were too, neither of them had any experience with having to divide their attention over multiple children.

They had taken Lily to every sonogram, read various children books about pregnancy and siblings, compared the boys' growth stages to the various fruits, to make sure she would feel as loved and important with the two new additions to their little family. So far, Lily seemed to have taken the shift well. She asked if she could help feed or bathe them, and when they were asleep, she would ask if she could play in the same room to watch over her brothers so she could fight of the monsters.

Lily had dozed off, her body warm, sweating onto Kate; she didn't mind. If she could, she'd stay forever in this moment.

"Thanks," she heard herself say. She wasn't sure if Castle was awake, but didn't care too much anyway. She just needed to breathe out those words, her gratitude never-ending.

"For what?" she heard after a while. Lips finding her neck, making her shiver with excitement and wholesomeness.

"This, Castle. I can't believe we actually made it," she turned her head, cautiously not to wake their sleeping daughter, and found his lips. Their foreheads finding each other, sharing their breaths.

"Remember that case, with the Mayan artefact?" he said, which made her frown.

"Yeah, what about it?" she yawned, fighting the sleep that never seemed to leave her side these days.

"D'you remember that alternative-"

"Please tell me this isn't you abusing my sleep-deprived state to convince me you actually did go to an alternative universe, Castle, because honestly, I'd believe almost anything right about now."

"Really?" he said a little too loud, making Lily stir a little.

"No, not really but… you know what I mean. Just… just talk Castle," she said, her eyes closing again.

"You asked me once if I had any regrets, not going to the prom with Audrey Dompson, and during that Mayan case, I got to see what my life would have been like if I had never met you. Kate, everything that has happened, good and bad; your mom, Montgomery, the freezer, the bomb, everything… it has lead us to exactly this moment. I don't even want to call it luck, because it's more than that. It's equally you as it is me; it's our commitment and love to one another, Kate, that has led us to this exact moment," he kissed her.

"And it doesn't hurt that I now have two mini me-s walking around," he added which earned him an eye roll.

"Why do you always have to ruin everything with your mouth?"

"I thought you liked my mouth?"

"Oh, shut-"

At the same time, Jake and Reece had started to scream at the top of their lungs, which in turn awoke Lily, who looked up dazed, her hair a bird's nest.

* * *

"So, what'd you think of Edgar?" Castle asked, enjoying the view of his wife and children, all bunched together underneath a roof of various colored blankets. His question was met with disheartened grunts from his children and a slap from his wife.

"Come on, Rick. Don't pester your children with schoolwork."

"Pester? Me?" he moved in protest, which made their family construction of piled bodies shift, creating a domino effect of elbows knocking down pillows, knees hitting shins and what had been a beautiful fortress just seconds earlier had become one big pile of Castles and pillows.

"Dad, you ruined our work," Lily was the first to recover from the debris caused by earthquake Dad.

"Not cool, dad," his sons pitched in, grabbing some pillows Castle thought were to help rescue him and Beckett, but the next moment, a pillow hit him right in the face.

"Ey, if there's one person to blame it's your mother," he tried, using the chairs as a barricade from his children.

"Excuse me?" he heard Kate respond, after which the weight of his entire household crashed down on him in fury.

"Be careful, cause you just woke the dragon," he rumbled, playing the character he had played many times before when inventing bedtimes stories for his toddlers. While his children weighed significantly more than they had when they were little, he was still able to get up from the pile of cushions and Castles, in retaliation pushing down the first body he could find.

He heard Kate's huffed breath under him. Behind him, he heard his children laughing and fighting amongst themselves, leaving their parents to it seeing as Castle was failing to get up again. Instead, Castle rolled a little to the side, relieving the weight on Kate, and they both watched their children fighting each other.

"That's all you and me, Mr Beckett," Kate said low enough for only Castle's ears to hear.

"Still don't regret a thing, Mrs Castle," he murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt by Coll1973: They decide to build a fort in the living room; after the kids fall asleep Rick and Kate talk about how lucky they are and what a beautiful family they have together? The cuter the better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I always appreciate a kind review! Let me know if you'd be interested in more one-shots; I might write some more in the future when inspiration strikes :)


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